A day in their scrubs: Sierra Cheatham
Hometown: I grew up in League City, Texas, which is southeast of Houston. Before that, I lived in Slidell, Louisiana. Hurricane Katrina is what shifted us to Texas.
Tell me about playing college basketball. I went to Tulane University in New Orleans, where I played basketball for five years. I graduated in 2021 but decided to play a fifth year [as a redshirt senior] because I loved it so much. New Orleans is a special place.
How did you get into basketball? I grew up playing a few sports, but I have always been one of the tallest people in my class. In seventh grade, the basketball coach asked me if I wanted to play on the team, and that is when I got more involved. As I got older, I started taking it more seriously and started traveling across the country playing on my AAU team. Eventually it got me a full scholarship to college.
What was it like playing at the college level? Basketball is kind of year-round. Our season goes through both the fall and spring semesters. It felt like we were always busy traveling. We would play two games a week, so when we had weeks where one of those games was at home, it was a lot easier. It was definitely overwhelming at times, but I learned a lot. It was all about time management and being able to juggle playing, traveling and studying. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything!
What brought you to dental school? I’ve always had a really good experience with the dentist. I had the most amazing pediatric dentist growing up. I chipped my front tooth (No. 8) multiple times over the years, and the last time was my sophomore year of college. I was introduced to a local dentist who saw a lot of the athletes at my school. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do at that time, but I knew I wanted to be somewhere in health care. After she fixed my tooth, I started shadowing her, and during my gap year, I worked for her as a dental assistant.
Why did you choose to attend Texas A&M College of Dentistry? What really piqued my interest in A&M was the matriculation sheets they gave us during the interview process. This school was more diverse than the other Texas schools, which was something I was looking for as a minority student. Additionally, A&M has a great reputation. A couple of dentists that I shadowed in League City graduated from the school when it was Baylor, and they had nothing but great things to say!
Do you feel your basketball experience has helped you as a dental student? I learned time management and being able to focus and study when I would rather lay down after practice. There were many times we had practice or weights and I was so tired, but I was able to push through to get my studying done. That is essentially the same thing with dental school because the days are long, and you have to push through those tired moments.
Do you have any advice for people considering dentistry as a career? I’d say it is important to shadow. As an athlete, I thought about physical therapy as a career because I wanted to stay close to sports. In shadowing physical therapists, I learned that wasn’t right for me. If you think dentistry is interesting, go shadow! Learn from local dentists in your area, and see if it is still a good fit for you!